Cape Town - Groote Schuur Hospital’s communication services will be slightly disrupted due to a recent blaze at the hospital.
Groote Schuur Hospital spokesperson Alaric Jacobs confirmed that due to the damage caused by the fire, hospital phone lines and emails will be intermittent.
Jacobs said residents might experience difficulty in reaching the hospital and that waiting times would also be affected, leading to a longer than usual waiting period.
“Your patience and understanding will be highly appreciated when trying to reach hospital staff. We are working on restoring the phone lines and emails as soon as possible,” said Jacobs.
Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk diverted all queries related to the fire to the City’s Fire and Rescue Service.
Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said services were alerted to smoke coming from the hospital at around 2pm on Tuesday.
Crews from Roeland Street, Salt River and Wynberg were on scene to extinguish the fire.
“On arrival, thick plumes of smoke could be seen and firefighters wore self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to work in the hazardous atmosphere,” said Carelse.
“The location of the fire was close to the institutional side near a service lobby/storeroom area. Furniture and equipment were destroyed as well as damages to the internet lines and electrical equipment,” said Carelse.
Firefighters contained and extinguished the blaze at 3.17pm with no injuries reported. The cause of the fire remains unknown at this time.